Advertising Ads

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 17, 2008 3:44PM

Back in the VHS era we taped a fair amount of movies off TV. Most of the time we were sitting there and editing out the commercials, but now and then we'd use the timer to record something. Those captured commercials, once minor annoyances to fast-forward through, are now fascinating artifacts. Bit by bit we've been digitizing them and posting them on YouTube. A simple search proves that we're not alone: there are scads of vintage Madison Avenue spots for perusal. "Mikey likes it." "The best part of waking up..." Watching them now is hard proof that a silly bit of commercial propaganda, when seen repeatedly at a tender young age, can lodge itself in your brain forever.

The Hugo Television Awards honor the best in advertising, and this year's finalists for the Audience Choice Awards have finally been chosen. WTTW is airing the commercials Saturday night at 11. After you've seen them, you can go online and vote for your favorites. Your vote will help to determine the winner of the Audience Choice Award, announced at the Hugo Television Awards Night on May 1, 2008 at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theatre. You might help choose a future classic.

image via World of Collectables